All Chapters of The Howling Throne: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

The air beyond the shattered seal was cold, laced with an energy that crackled beneath Rael’s skin. The starlit passage stretched into darkness, each step forward taking them deeper into the unknown. His sword remained silent, its hunger momentarily quelled, but he could still feel its presence, waiting, watching.Elior led the way, his Veliblade casting flickering light against the ancient stone. Myrra and Bram followed close behind, their movements tense but determined. Rael lingered at the rear, his thoughts heavy. He had resisted the blade’s whispers once, but for how long?The corridor widened into a vast chamber, its walls lined with towering statues draped in rusted chains. Some were broken, their stone faces cracked beyond recognition. Others stood untouched, their gazes hollow, their hands raised in silent supplication.Myrra halted, her fingers tracing an inscription at the base of one statue. “This language… it’s older than the First Kingdom. I can’t read all of it, but…” H

A pulse of crimson light beat through the chamber like a second heart, casting long, flickering shadows across the ancient stone. The whispers grew louder, weaving together in an eerie, wordless chorus that scraped against the edges of Rael’s mind. The sword in his grip grew heavier, its hilt biting into his palm as if urging him to act.“Move!” Elior shouted.The tremor beneath them intensified, the ground quaking as deep fissures cracked through the stone. Myrra stumbled but caught herself against an obelisk, its smooth surface now warm beneath her fingertips. Bram planted his feet wide, his axe drawn and ready.Rael tore his gaze away from the pulsing glow and forced himself to think. They were trapped in an underground ruin, standing at the threshold of something ancient and terrible. The First King’s words echoed in his mind.The throne is but a cage, the crown its lock.What had they just done?Before he could dwell on it, the far end of the chamber erupted in a storm of shatter

The ruins loomed ahead, their jagged silhouettes rising against the shifting sky. Even from a distance, Rael could feel something wrong about the place. The air shimmered faintly, bending light in unnatural ways, as if the city weren’t entirely real, half-formed, caught between existence and something else.They moved cautiously, weapons in hand, their footsteps quiet on the grass. No birds sang. No wind stirred. The silence was oppressive, wrapping around them like a held breath.Bram was the first to break it. "We sure we wanna do this?"Elior didn’t stop walking. "We don’t have a choice."Myrra exhaled sharply. "We always have a choice. We could turn around, pretend we never saw this place, and live slightly longer lives."Rael barely heard them. His eyes were locked on the ruined city, on the way the buildings seemed to pulse, almost breathe. Something wasn’t right.When they reached the outskirts, the ground beneath their feet changed. The grass gave way to smooth, blackened ston

The path through the mountains was treacherous, the air growing colder with every step. Jagged peaks loomed above, their blackened stone swallowing what little moonlight reached them. The trail wound through sheer cliffs, narrowing into a twisting canyon where the wind barely whispered.It was here that Bram first noticed something was wrong.“The ground’s shifting,” he muttered, glancing behind them.Rael followed his gaze. Their footprints,deep in the dust and gravel just moments before, were fading. Not from wind or weather. They simply… vanished.“This place doesn’t want to remember us,” Myrra whispered.Ahead, Elior stopped and scanned their surroundings. The oppressive silence had settled too thickly now, making even their breaths sound distant.“We keep moving,” he said, voice low but firm.Rael adjusted his grip on the book, its ancient pages warm against his palm. The words inside had changed before, reacting to their journey. What if the Hollow Crown had already begun to see

Darkness clung to the edges of Rael’s vision, seeping into his thoughts like ink spilled across a fragile page. His breath was ragged, uneven, the weight of the Hollow Crown’s judgment pressing against his chest. He turned his gaze to Vame, their expression unreadable, their hollowed eyes reflecting nothing but the abyss that had swallowed them whole moments before.Elior took a cautious step forward, his grip tightening around his sword. “Vame,” he said, voice low, measured. “What did you remember?”For a long moment, Vame said nothing. Then, slowly, they tilted their head, their fingers curling slightly at their sides. “Everything.”The word was a whisper, yet it struck like a hammer against stone. The air around them trembled. The unseen whispers that had plagued them since entering the Hollow Crown’s domain surged in response, their fragmented voices rising in a cacophony of sound before dissolving into a chilling silence.Bram exhaled sharply, shifting his stance. “Not ominous at